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Categories: Hotels & Travel, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Coronado
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2 Words: Delicious and Decadent
For brunch we randomly chose the Del. We dined on lamb, crab legs, sushi grade ahi, duck confit, chocolate covered strawberries, rice shots, mushroom pate, mini bagels and lox, fresh, flavorful fruit (oh the delicious blood oranges) and the aforementioned list doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the food served at this deliciously decadent brunch.
The service was amazing - my wish, well forget the command - they anticipated it and it was done before I could even say "could you....?"
Now, Bon Appetite to the tenth power because of the price of this deliciously decadent brunch ($75 - which we didn't know when we randomly chose the Del....). One word: Fxxx!
what recession? at $72.50 a pop for brunch, this place had a wait list.
we were told that the wait for two for sunday brunch was 45 mins so we headed off to explore the beautiful grounds and white sandy beaches. little shops with ice cream and salt water taffy were so tempting to our grumbling stomachs.
but once seated, we had rounds of mimosas and bellinis.
like anything in life, have a game plan.
and here was my foodie diary.
round #1
eggs benedict, hit the omelet station, got a tasting of prime rib, crispy bacon, chicken apple sausage, truffled mac n' cheese, and a small bowl of lobster bisque.
round #2
oysters, king crab legs, jumbo shrimp, and lobster ravioli.
round #3
perused but skipped the noodle bar and went for the charcuterie section with 4 kinds of cheese, fig spread, and a bowl of the gruyere cheese fondue.
round #4
mango and chayote salad with a pineapple lime dressing, green apple salad, and a dollop of honeycomb yogurt and berries.
skipped the pineapple and watermelon shots and went for a side of cantaloupe.
round #5
flan, fudge, dark choco godiva mousse, berries and clotted cream.
chocolate and strawberry shot and a chocolate macaroon.
skipped the pound cake with toppings as well as the candy section and snatched the almond cake that was super tasty.
but the kid in me loved the chocolate fountain. i'm plotting to install one permanently in my apt. the strawberries and marshmallows were so good. i really wanted to dip the wafers but i was going to have a food baby at any moment.
the docked star was for not having an espresso nor capp machine. very strange indeed.
on our way out, i had one more craving and popped a slice of juicy watermelon to end the food orgy.
feeling slightly guilty for all the gluttony, i was in heaven.
People thought this was:
There are WAY better brunches for a MUCH more reasonable price in San Diego. Fine if you want to go for the experience once, but each time I've been back (we bring some visiting family members for the experience) I'm less impressed each time. They cut you off pretty blatantly after 2 hours, but last time I was there the service was terrible right off the bat and there were way too many empty serving plates at the buffet for over $70.
(Real quickly, just knocking a star off for pricing and the potentially musty atmosphere.)
Can I say, SELECTION city! I went for the first time, two months ago and was salivating while going cross-eyed from the oodles of tables with oodles of food. I was actually stressed out with how the heck I was going to inhale the best dishes and get my money's worth, LOL!
Things I remember:
Sushi, sashimi, eggs benedict, crab legs, shrimp cocktail, bacon, omelets, cereal, granola, fresh fruit, fondue, cheesecake, chocolate cake, angel cake, muffins, croissants, toast, carving station, salads, pasta, macaroni, waffles, pancakes, roasted potatoes, French bread, made to order eggs, chocolate mousse, ice cream, flan and more.
Nice, historic place in San Diego, take a turn about the grounds either before or after your meal, there are such beautiful ocean views of Coronado to be had. Also, I've had some of the best waiter service here: friendly, approachable, accommodating almost to the point of being apologetic....sweet staff.
Tips:
1. Snag a table close to a window if you want some decent lighting. It also helps take away that musty feeling you get from being in old (but very quaint!) buildings.
2. Go early. I made the mistake of not giving myself enough time...to eat.
3. It's a champagne brunch!
4. Note the architecture of the Crown Room, unique and beautiful, especially the dome-like ceiling.
People thought this was:
THIS REVIEW IS FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER BUFFET IN THE CROWN ROOM
The Hotel Del is arguably the most magical place in San Diego during the holidays. Unfortunately, the buffet dinner is not.
For $98.50 a person (just charge us $100 already) I expected more. The service was polite and tried hard, but they were under staffed. The food was just OK. I will note that whenever one eats out on a holiday, you should lower your expectations, but when paying $100 (I mean $98.50) I expect some creativity in the food... even a buffet. The desserts were nothing like what they are for the brunch.
What REALLY got my goat was that SELF parking was $23.00 for TWO hours. WHAT?!?! Are you kidding me???? There is no validation. That is just ridiculous.
Do go see the Hotel dressed up for the Holidays. Do find street parking nearby and walk to the hotel when you go. Do eat somewhere else for dinner.
People thought this was:
We had planned on having Thanksgiving at The Grant Hotel, but when we walked in, because we were early, it didn't look inviting or appealing. It just looked like something they put together for the hotel guests. So there we were, on Broadway and Third, with no where to go for Thanksgiving. We couldn't help but laugh. The partner joked about heading up to Rudfords. I replied that Hob Nob Hill would be better. But we were starving and wanted some bodacious buffet to gorge on.
"What about the Del?" I suggested.
A short phone call and we were on our way because they were taking walk-ins. I suggest parking near the beach because not only will you save some cash, you can enjoy a nice walk to the hotel and a nice walk to work off some of the food on the way back. Judging from what everyone has said, it would have been nice to eat in the Crown Room, but we had to settle for the Ballroom. They were going to seat us near the window with a great view of the ocean, but
sun + window + food & liquor = heat
As nice as it would be, I'd rather be comfortable. The Del puts together a really great spread. The main items: juicy turkey, tender prime rib, succulent ham, large crab legs. An interesting assortment of salads, such as crab, apple, and fennel, and an Asian salad with black mushrooms, scallions, and jicama(?). The dessert room, (yes, there was a separate room for the desserts) was great. I had pecan pie, bread pudding with creme anglaise, apple cobbler with caramel sauce, chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce, and a flourless chocolate cake. The pumpkin pie was a little disappointing. I can make a better one.
Three trips to the buffet line and two trips to the dessert room. Yes, I was happy as a clam. Keep in mind, the dessert portions were small. So it does sound like I was making a big 'ol hog outta myself, but I wasn't. And my dinner plates weren't piled like some I saw. My third plate was only turkey and cranberry sauce. They also had lobster tortellini and ricotta ravioli. I wish I had more room to eat more.
Overall, if you want to do something special or impress someone, the Del is the place to go. It is pretty pricey. Liquor was not included like they do their regular brunch. The service was great. If it wasn't, I would have complained to a manager because you don't pay that kind of money for poor service. Especially since you are serving yourself, but this ain't no Hometown Buffet...LOL!
People thought this was:
I would go higher than a 4, but our server kinda sucked. I wasn't going to let him ruin this last meal though.
Came here last Sunday with my wife and family, for our last hurrah in San Diego. I have been wanting to come here for a while, but the occasion never presented itself.
Ambience- the place is gorgeous. The room is open and the buffet is spread out which is nice, because you don't get that "herded cattle" feeling as you're going about.
Food- Dizzzam! With the exception of the ethnic foods (bless their hearts for trying) everything was of a very high quality. The prime rib melted in my mouth, and the short ribs fell right off the bone (Those were my top two). The menu they show online is somewhat misleading, as they do not have everything listed (most of it though). I tried to stay away from the breakfast items, and tried to get my moneys worth in the seafood and meat:-P
The buffet had different sections (old favorites, salads, cheeses, etc...). Two areas you cannot skip are the dessert station, and the "just chocolate" station (I know what you're thinking, isn't chocolate a dessert? well friend, it has it's own station in this buffet).
I could trail on and on about the food, but you get the idea.
Service- as I alluded to before, our server was less than attentive. Thank goodness for the other servers/helpers, as they saw our need for help, and came to our rescue. I hope they split tips, because our server didn't earn that on his own.
Overall- pretty pricey, but it's one of those once in a lifetime kind a things you ought to try.
Chuck Norris Rating- pimp slap... to the face!
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Christmas Eve, 2008
It was myself, my daughter and my bestfriend. My daughter and I were staying at the Hotel Del overnight for Christmas Eve and since parking was so busy my friend thought rather than leaving and then coming back to try to find another parking spot, we would stay at the hotel for dinner.
We had the Christmas Eve Buffet and the food was plentiful! We had Prime Rib that was so-so, not very tender. They also served turkey and duck. Both were not bad. I enjoyed the turkey and stuffing and cranberries. They also had a wonderful selection of imported cheeses, a wide variety of seafood selections and the dessert table was divine! They even had a little shorter table for the little kids where they served hot dogs, macaroni cheese, and chicken strips, potato strips, and a few other things.
The service was absolutely great in the beginning of the meal. Jerome was our waiter and was very nice, attentive and pleasant.
After the meal, the bill came with the gratuity included, for the three of us with tip included it ran close to $400.
After dinner, my friend and I walked around the beautiful hotel for awhile then she went home. The next morning I stopped by her house to go with her to visit her family and she went to get her American Express card out for gas, and discovered that our server, Jerome, had neglected to give the card back to her!
So after making a phone call to the hotel to confirm just what we thought, the credit card was still there. On Christmas Day, in the rain, we had to drive back to the hotel to get the card when we should have been on our way to visit family, very disappointing! The hotel manager didn't seem to care and did not apologize. He seemed to care less except to say that it will be waiting at the check in desk.
After reading some of the lower post where someone stated that detail is the Hotel Del's middle name ~ what a shame that the detail of giving the customer back their credit card on Christmas Eve was neglected! This is a detail that should never be missed!
People thought this was:
We just went for Easter Brunch and I was so disappointed. I guess they change it up on holidays. They were missing a lot of their good stuff: lobster bisque, panini station, dumplings... They basically had a bunch of duplicates. There were 2 lines with exactly the same boring stuff. (Sorry but I'm not spending $80 for scrambled eggs and bacon). The seafood station was really sad too. They only had shrimp cocktail, salmon, crab legs and mussels--where's the sushi? And what about having some interesting dishes instead of stuff I can make at home??
People thought this was:
Can we say WOW. I went here for brunch and can I say WOW again, I got full! This place is very nice, expensive, awesome food, and all you can eat. The brunch Champange wasn't bad either. :)
This place is Highly Recommended!
People thought this was:
If one is fortunate enough to own one of the most exquisite properties, in one of the most desirable locations and you have earned 4-5 stars for being known to have the very best to offer, then you can charge accordingly.
Keeping all of this in mind, the Hotel Del Coronado has many offerings for dining, at different price levels. Yes, they all charge top dollar, but you are getting what you are paying for. Don't forget it is also a resort and some of the dining options, inside and out are much more casual, than the Crown Room.
The entire hotel, inside and out, ghosts or not, is breath taking. Service is impeccable. Detail is their middle name. Several movies have been filmed there. This is a very old hotel that is in mint condition, with a whole lot of history. The food, service and prices are what one would expect. They have a super reputation and they fine tune it in every sense of the word.
It is worth every penny spent and will become a lasting memory! Think about the Sunday brunch, for instance, which is $72.50 per adult. If you were to go elsewhere and order drinks, appetizers, soup, salads, imported cheese, prime rib, a variety of seafood, such as shrimp cocktail, king crab legs, sushi, plus succulent lobster bisque and desserts made by their pastry chef, what would you pay?
http://www.hoteldel.co...
I have been all over the world and one of the best sights, I have ever seen is driving over the Coronado Bay Bridge and viewing the boat filled bay, while at the same time viewing the ocean, the "Silver Strand", Point Loma and on a very clear day, the Coronado Islands and the Hotel Del Coronado, with that distinct, domed red roof.
For over a century they have made serving guests their only priority. If ever in San Diego, take the drive over the bridge and explore the Hotel Del Coronado!
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I am one of a few lucky people who have been to the Hotel Del Coronado for a wedding. Top notch. WAY OVER THE TOP. The kind of wedding you see in movies I kid you not.
The ceremony started in the garden patio. Never in all the 30+ weddings I've attended did anybody actually walk down the aisle to Ave Maria--with a professional opera singer! I thought I was watching Muriel's Wedding! Note to self: walk down the aisle to Ave Maria.....
The reception soon followed also in the garden patio with light appetizers and LOTS of booze and champagne flowing. We were all then ushered into the Crown Room for more elegant food consisting of a sit down meal with filet mignon and lobster. This was a five course meal NOT including the wedding cake. Good thing, because I was throwing back bottomless cocktails and expensive champagne. Just wish I didn't eat so many damn appetizers.
GORGEOUS wedding. If you are a baller and drop that kind of cash. I heard rumors what it cost and i'll give you a hint-you could buy a small condo for the same price. Ironic how I don't think the couple is still together....
People thought this was:
Yeah, it's pricey, but man, they had (freakishly enormous) crab legs , prime rib, oysters, yummy baked goat cheese, omelet and pasta stations, and a chocolate fountain, which looked very inviting, but I refused to partake in its goodness. While dining at the Crown, I couldn't help but draw a comparison to the buffet at the Universal City Hilton, at about $20 less! And the Hilton has LOBSTER!
A bit of advice to the staff, be ready to answer questions regarding the ghost of Kate Morgan. Our server fabricated some of the details of her suicide: she referred to it as a murder, where she was found, and called her "Anne" Morgan instead. Luckily, the gift shop had a book with all the deets.
Next time I'm in Coronado, I'll skip out on the brunch buffet and hold a seance in room 3327 instead
People thought this was:
It's an absolutely beautiful room. Grand ballroom style, with a beautiful wood ceiling. Great selection of top rate food. The seafood was my favorite which included Alaska King Crab Legs, raw oysters, tons and tons of huge shrimp for a shrimp cocktail and more. The breads were excellent. I had the prime rib which was very good; they had an awesome dijon mustard to go with it as well as horseradish. The shots of fruit smoothy's were really nice as well. They have a huge selection of juices as well as the champagne of course. Cheeses, meats, lamb, omelets it goes on and on. I couldn't try everything as I got too stuffed on the seafood. The deserts were really great. Gosh the chocolate in the chocolate fountain was really top rate; I was sticking everything on the desert bar under there.
Well all in all absolutely fabulous, but was it worth the price???? How could it possibly be worth it really? $70 per person, plus tax, plus tip, plus $10 for parking; the total for 2 came to $180. Can you imagine a brunch worth $180 for 2? If so this is the place for you, because I can't see it ever getting much better than this. If you can't imagine how any brunch could be worth $180 for two, then there is no way you could be rolled over.
We really loved it, but it was just not possible to live up to the $180 price tag. We received a huge gift certificate to the Del Coronado and we used that to pay for it. We'll be back to finish up the gift card, but I doubt we'll pay for it with our own money. For my own money, I'll probably go back to Humphrey's for Sunday Brunch. It comes close; a bit smaller selection, and most is not quite the same quality (the seafood is about the same though), different atmosphere; not quite as elegant, but very pretty; total cost is less than half which makes it doable for me for those special occasions.
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They do a Sunday Brunch that I swear you'd trade your mother for ... I know I would ... y'know, trade your mother.
seriously ... pricey but perfect!
People thought this was:
LOVE IT!!!! Brunch that is....LOL!
I absolutely love the feeling of having brunch in The Crown Room at The Del in Coronado on Sundays. This room is AMAZING!!! IT always brings you back into time, when architecture was exquisite, captivating, and reflective of an era so elegant and dramatic. Women walking around in long gowns and petticoats, pearls around their necks, gloves up to their elbows-absolutely stunning! I've enjoyed many scrumptious dishes and the one thing I always come back to over and over again-the cascading chocolate fountain with dippers galore!!! Marshmallows, cheesecake, strawberries, rice crispy treats, pretzels, etc...etc...etc. The list goes on and on!!!! Make sure you save room for dessert.....
I also love the selection of seafood-king crab legs, shrimp cocktail, and oyster shooters to name a few. The price may seem steep at first but it is well worth it!!! The prime rib is also worth a try...always made to perfection with the right amount of au jus and horseradish. You get every side imaginable to complete your eating desire. And don't forget this is brunch so eat up on the piles and piles of bacon, sausauge, eggs made every way possible, waffles, and pancakes..YUM! And don't forget the mimosas....super strong and well woth every glass of it....
Make reservations.....the wait isn't long as every one is led into the Crown Room in groups.
If you get a chance, listen to the pianist who does an excellent job!
And don't forget to keep an eye out for the ghost of Kate Morgan...I hear she seems to wander around this establishment from time to time...
Brunch at the Del runs about $22/person. It's well worth it...at least once in your lifetime! Also...you can catch a wonderful stroll on the beach!
People thought this was:
Good galore!! What is better than having Sunday buffet brunch with all-you-can drink mimosas, excellent coffee, in a room with a ceiling that reminded me of an upside down ship and as big as a grand ballroom, overlooking the sunny pier, with good company? Can't beat that. Even better...after stuffing our faces with the seafood, cheese platters, the big chocolate fountain, and the little bite size desserts, the beach was only a skip and a hop away. A great way to digest the 1,000+ calorie (but oh-so worth it) meal- by laying out on the beach.
Great food, great service, great mimosas! Definitely a place to check out!
People thought this was:
My dad and I went for brunch with his ex business partner. The service and set up was really nice. The food was great. Very expensive, about $100 per person. I would not go unless my dad was paying for me again, haha. I'll definitely go back because they have so much tastey food to choose from.
Coronado is a beautiful island (though not really an island) with a gorgeous beach, the Hotel Del is spectacular, and the Crown Room is a beautiful work of art, but the brunch...well the brunch is good. Just good. Not out of this world amazing. Each year my friends and I splurge on a great place for our holiday gift exchange, this year's exchange took place today at the Del. The setting was pretty much perfect, and the spread of food was impressive, but it left something to be desired. It really pains me to say it. I wanted soooo much to LOVE the brunch. For the $70 price tag I couldn't imagine NOT loving the brunch. But, the breakfast items were cold. The prime rib was alright, but the vegetables and the potatoes were cold. The seafood was really good, I'll give them that, and had I been able to eat several plates full of shrimp and crab I may have found the buffet worth it. The mini pot pie that I tried was cold. The braised short rib was tough. The rest of the food I tried was good, but not great.
The desserts looked absolutely scrumptious, but my group found them to be pretty hit or miss. The apple pastry was delicious, the creme brulee was about as good as would be expected from a buffet, but the cakes were either too sweet or too bland and the cookies were pretty dry. The chocolate fountain seemed to be the best bet for dessert. They had strawberries, graham crackers, pretzels, marshmallows and chocolate piroulines to cover in decadent milk chocolate. Yum.
The best part of the brunch, hands down, were the free flowing mimosas poured by our wonderful server, Gloria. They were perfect. Made with fresh juice and really good champagne - the Hotel Del's own label. Since the food wasn't worth it to me, I made sure to get my money's worth in Mimosas ;)
Now, in all fairness I didn't try everything they had to offer, so maybe I just missed all of the really fantastic things or maybe I caught the stations on off moments. It does seem that everyone else who has reviewed the brunch has not been disappointed, and good for them, but I'm not sure I'll be giving it a second chance. All that said, I do still think that the brunch is an experience everyone should have at least once. Especially at the holidays since its fun to be at the Del when it's done up for Christmas. It's historic, it's haunted, and after brunch you can walk on the beach or go ice skating by the sea. Although I may not recommend that last one depending on how many mimosas Gloria pours you...
Sunday at the Coronado. Never. Have I EVER. Seen SO MUCH food in all my life. I wish i had had more room in my stomach!!!! It was a luxurious, stunning room overflowing with people and food. The dessert spread was a tower of everything you could ever imagine.... You might think it's pricey at first... But NOT at ALL!! It is worth every penny.... but you might need to get someone to roll you out of there.... cause i did. BUT SO SO SO SO worth it!!!!!!!!!
People thought this was:
I did the weekend brunch thing... expensive but totally worth it. Unless you're seated next to a window you could be eating anywhere... so request a table well in advance and you won't be disappointed. I won't go here again unless it's a big occasion.
People thought this was:
So I'll throw myself in the mix of those who have experienced the Crown Room Sunday Brunch at the Hotel Del. The room is beautiful, but it's not the first of it's style I've seen (Thank you Umich for having unnecessarily fancy ballrooms in your Union and League) so that wasn't really what sold me on it. The food options are ridiculous (in a good way): prime rib, shrimp, crab legs, skirt steak, halibut, eggs, bacon, sausage, sushi, seared tuna, egg rolls, fried dumplings, steak fajitas, made-to-order omelettes, belgian waffles, pasta salads, hot pasta, two soups, baked goat cheese, crazy finger deserts, bread pudding (OMG!), chocolate fountain...and the list still goes on! Our server was great, made sure our plates were taken away and our drinks were always full (amazing coffee...you can also get champagne, mimosas or bloody marys, too). However, I'm taking one star away because given the $58.00 price tag per person, I just think the quality of the food should be a little better (it's not bad by any means, but I wouldn't say "Oh my stars and garters, this tastes like $58.00 worth of food!).
If you're at the Del or are planning on going to Coronado on a Sunday morning, I think the Crown Room is definitely worth a one-time go around just to experience it.
People thought this was:
Two years ago I stayed at the Del on weekdays and ogled the crown room ceiling and lights. We returned for Thanksgiving to see if the Del could turn what I consider a throw away culinary wasteland of a holiday into something spectacular. They didn't disappoint. Even the turkey was five stars. I'd explain the food, but the choices were too many. I'll just say, there wasn't a clunker in the batch. It was all superb. Screw my family, I'm coming back next year. It's that good.
alright. first, it is really expensive but the ambience is fantastic. the hotel del is the oldest seaside resort on the west coast. its right on the beach and the crown room is this huge banquet hall that reminded me of dining in some beautiful victorian hotel in europe. all beautiful dark rose wood and daintily set tables. the food selection is anything but dainty though. one long table piled with fresh seafood. the crab was fantastic and so was the shrimp. another table held breakfast foods including eggs benedict and all the usual morning fare. another table had lunch entress including fantastic tamales. and still another table full of fresh carved meats - try the prime rib! it melted in my mouth. and to top it all off the desserts were so amazing that i tried a whole plate full even though i had already unbuttoned by top button.
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